Book 3 – The Bastard Line

It’s tough being the bastard son of a bastard son of an emperor, but Va’el has strong ambition and is after a princely crown.

The boy has lived his whole life outside the Imperial Circle. Now the Bastard Line has taken power and Va’el is in with a chance.

Twice he has failed to impress his father, but perhaps there is a chance to get it right. He’s on a self-chosen mission to Zumaridi to find a prize the new Emperor will appreciate, but the Terran planet’s alien-native lizard is not what he thinks it is.

If he gets one, though, he’ll secure a crown for certain. It’s all a bit much when you’re only ten years old. Worse than that, an elite soldier has been sent to “save” him. How ever will Va’el live down the humiliation of that?

It’s not his fault that his visit to Zumaridi turned into a diplomatic incident.